Paul Goldsmith, NASCAR and Indy 500 icon, dead at 98

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Paul Goldsmith, an iconic figure in American stock car racing, has died. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway confirmed Goldsmith's death on Friday. He was 98.

Goldsmith was born in West Virginia. After initially racing motorcycles, he eventually made the switch to auto racing, but he had success in both domains.

Goldsmith finished in first place in the Daytona 200 motorcycles race in 1953. He is credited with five American Motorcyclist Association wins during his time as a professional motorcycle competitor.

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Paul Goldsmith started his NASCAR Cup season off with a win in his qualifying race for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. After an 18th place finish in the 500, Goldsmith returned for the Firecracker 400 and ran very well, but a broken windshield on his Ray Nichels-owned Plymouth dropped him to a 27th place finish.  (ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images)

Goldsmith then moved over to the auto racing side in 1956, when he entered his first NASCAR races. He went on to earn nine wins and eight pole positions in the NASCAR Grand National Series, which is now known as the NASCAR Cup Series.

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Goldsmith will also be remembered for being the final winner of the NASCAR premier-series race on the seminal Daytona Beach and road course in 1958. His success was largely tied to two legendary car owners, Smokey Yunick and Ray Nichels.

Paul Goldsmith drove factory-backed Plymouths owned by Ray Nichels on the NASCAR Cup circuit in 21 events, scoring eight top 10 finishes.   (ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images)

Goldsmith competed in the Indianapolis 500 on six occasions. His best performance in the race happened in 1960, when he finished in third place.

Aside from his achievements on the track, Goldsmith left a lasting mark on American motorsports by being at the forefront of technology. 

The NASCAR Cup Series logo printed on the front stretch on Mar. 6, 2020 at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, AZ. (Brady Klain/The Republic)

Goldsmith is credited with helping to develop water-circulating technology, which served as a precursor to the cool-suit technology that modern day drivers rely on. 

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Goldsmith officially stepped away from competitive racing in 1970.

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